Pricing Agreements

The CPO has Pricing Agreements for many standard equipment systems and services that are repetitively requisitioned and have been competitively bid. Use of these agreements waives competitive requirements, in most cases. Contact the CPO for further information.

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Procurement Card

Procurement of goods may be transacted via a Procurement Card by individuals and departments who have been issued one.

Procurement using the approved NMSU Procurement Card will follow policies and procedures as established and maintained by the CPO and approved by the Vice President for Business and Finance. Details of these policies and procedures are available upon request from the CPO.

To initiate a request for a Procurement Card, complete a Procurement Card Request form and Agreement, and obtain Department Head, Dean/Director and Financial Operations approval. Then submit the request to Accounts Payable.

Procurement Card purchases are subject to all NMSU policies and procedures related to Disbursements that are documented in this manual.

NOTE: Refer to the BPM, Chapter 4, subsection 4.00.45 for a listing of Unallowable and Restricted Purchases.

Procurement of Used Items

When procuring used items with an estimated cost of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, the procurement shall be treated as if procuring new items.

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Reimbursable Purchases

In the following circumstances an employee may purchase goods and/or services in excess of $50 and process a Request for Rreimbursement on a Reimbursement Voucher after the fact.

An Emergency Purchase, which is defined as any purchase required to:

An Emergency Purchase includes purchases that must be made during hours other than normal working hours. The option of providing the vendor with a Purchase Order (PO) "after-the-fact" (the next business day), if the vendor is willing, should be taken over an individual employee purchase and subsequent reimbursement.

If such a purchase must be made, a memo approved through the Dean or Director's office must be submitted with the Reimbursement Voucher, explaining the emergency. Contact the CPO for assistance in interpreting Emergency Purchase Guidelines (See the BPM, Chapter 4, subsection 4.40.20).

Purchases for which credit will not be extended (Vendor will not accept a PO or NMSU credit card), require prior approval of the CPO.

Purchases of items offered at a conference/seminar or other similar purchases while on travel may not exceed $100. If a purchase over this amount is required, it must fall under the definition of an Emergency Purchase as defined above.

Requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by receipts that indicate the bill has been paid (i.e. marked "PAID" or balance due equals $0.00). All receipts must be identifiable as to payee, and nature and amount of expenditure. Any information not given by the receipt must be added by the department; all such additions must be attested to by the employee's signature on the receipt.

NOTE: Do not pay tax on non-service items. NMSU cannot reimburse employees for these taxes. See the BPM, Chapter 4, subsection 4.00.40 for NMSU's Tax Exemption Number or contact the CPO for these nontaxable purchases and for special rules involving construction contracts.

Sole Source Procurement

A contract may be awarded without competitive sealed bids or competitive sealed proposals regardless of the estimated cost when the CPO makes a determination, after evaluating the sole source justification submitted by the department, and after conducting a good-faith review of available sources and consulting the using agency, that there is only one source for the required service, construction, or item of tangible personal property. The CPO shall conduct negotiations, as appropriate, as to price, delivery and quantity in order to obtain the price most advantageous to NMSU. A price or cost analysis will be made on all procurements of $2,500 or more.

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Trade or Exchange

Departments are not authorized to sell, trade, or delete any item of any value at any time. This function shall be handled by the CPO only. When a purchase involves a trade or exchange as partial payment, a description of the property and the NMSU tag number is required on the Purchase Requisition.

When appropriate, the CPO will inform prospective bidders of the location where the used property can be examined. The sale price of the new article and the trade-in allowance for the used item must be stated separately. The difference between the sale price of the new article and the trade-in allowance shall be deemed the bid of the seller.

When trading or exchanging used items with estimated values exceeding $10,000 as partial payment on new item(s), a written independent appraisal of the item(s) to be traded or exchanged is required.

Equipment cannot be deleted from the NMSU property inventory without prior approval of the Board of Regents and State Board of Finance. Equipment deletions will be reported to Risk Management and the State Auditor.

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Unauthorized Purchases

Purchases not properly authorized in advance by the CPO will require a written statement of justification to the CPO by the person originating such a purchase and approved by Dean or Department Head.

Such purchases will be considered on a case-by-case basis; however NMSU's position is that such a purchase is the PERSONAL obligation of the person originating such a purchase.

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VEHICLES

NMSU solicits bids on vehicles as determined by the CPO based on market availability.

In addition to the approvals included in Banner Finance, all vehicle requisitions shall have the approval of their Director, Dean or Vice President prior to the solicitation of any bids or issuance of any purchase orders for the acquisition. Such approval shall be provided via a memorandum from the appropriate Department Head through the Director, Dean or Vice President to the Department of Procurement Services and Risk Management. The memorandum shall include justification for the purchase, description of intended use, employee vehicle assignment, if any, and acknowledgment of the responsibility of the recipient employee to comply with University reporting requirements for any personal use as provided in Chapter 7 of the BPM.

Note: Refer to the BPM, Chapter 7, for Employment Tax Issues for Personal Use of University Vehicles.

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Vehicle Accidents

Immediate notice of accidents is required by New Mexico Statutes, Section 66-7-206. The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, and/or property damage to an apparent extent $100 or more, shall give notice of such accident to police authorities.

If the accident occurs on the main campus, notify the NMSU Police. If the accident occurs within a municipality, notify the local police; otherwise, notify the County Sheriff or the nearest office of the New Mexico State Police. The individual involved in the accident must report it immediately to the department head and the CPO.

Vehicle Accident Procedures:

If the University is at fault, the responsible department is charged the $1,000 deductible. If the other driver is at fault, the CPO will file a claim against the other driver or drivers insurance company.

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Vehicle Color

All NMSU vehicles will be white. Exceptions may be made with the approval of the Vice President for Human and Physical Resources.

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Vehicle Insurance - University Owned

While operating within the United States, NMSU's fleet of rented, leased, and owned vehicles is covered for both auto liability and auto physical damage through the State of New Mexico Risk Management Division. In order to drive any vehicle from NMSU's fleet, an employee must be in compliance with state motor vehicle laws. This includes being in possession of both a current State of New Mexico license and an NMSU license issued through Environmental Health and Safety.

The State covers all University-owned, rented, or leased vehicles for physical damage with a $1,000 deductible for comprehensive and collision per occurrence.

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Vehicle Insurance - Rental Cars

The following guidelines are intended to address the most commonly encountered agreement options and how they should be handled by employees. Questions regarding other options should be forwarded to the CPO.

Employees should waive coverage for the following non-reimbursable standard options:

Loss Damage Waiver
When renting or leasing a vehicle for official purposes within the continental United States, University employees should not purchase the loss damage waiver.

The Risk Management Division in Santa Fe provides physical damage on vehicles rented, leased, or loaned. This coverage comes with a $1,000 deductible. If renting a vehicle through Avis or the NMSU-sponsored Diners Club Card, further coverage is available based on our respective corporate agreements. NMSU's corporate agreement number with Avis is A832900.

Employees should note that this coverage extends only to those vehicles rented or leased within the continental United States. If renting or leasing a vehicle outside of the United States, it is recommended that coverage be obtained through the renting or leasing company.

Collision

NMSU is insured through the State Risk Management Division. There is a deductible of $1,000 per occurrence.

Bodily Injury and Property Damage

The limits are as follows (Effective 7/1/92):

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Vehicle Logos and Identification

With the exception of a few vehicles approved by the administration, all vehicles must display the appropriate New Mexico State University logo. NMSU has a standard identification decal supplied by the Office of Facilities and Services and should be displayed on all University vehicles.

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Mexico Insurance

When anticipating a trip into Mexico, allow two to three days to secure the documentation for the trip. This would include vehicle identification and documentation, NMSU authorization to enter Mexico and return with the vehicle, estimated time of departure and return through the ports of entry, and an insurance policy. Please contact the CPO for further information.

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